Respected Christian apologists Dr. John Ankerberg1 and Dr. Norman Geisler2 have launched another attack on young-earth creationism (YEC), this time by objecting in a web article to the frequent YEC use of Mark 10:6, from which we argue that Jesus was a young-earth creationist and so we should be too, if we call Him our Lord.

Ironically in a little 1991 booklet on evolution,3 Ankerberg and co-author John Weldon mention Matthew 19:4–5 (the parallel passage to Mark 10:6) as part of their defense of the young-earth view. They even state that they have studied the various old-earth reinterpretations of Genesis “in detail and believe they all have fatal biblical flaws.” It is tragic that Ankerberg has since ignored Jesus’ teaching and his own reasoning based on it (or perhaps they were Weldon’s arguments and Ankerberg only helped write other parts of the booklet).

In any case, it is clear from Ankerberg’s comments when moderating the Hovind-Ross debate (with an unfair old-earth bias) that he picked up many compromise views at his seminary. And as shown by Dr. David Menton’s letter to Ankerberg in June 1992, Ankerberg was clearly an old-earther at about the time of the booklet. This letter shows the disrespectful way Ankerberg treated high-profile young-earth creationist PhD scientists, who had given up much time to record programs for him, and instead he substituted the gross errors of old-earther Hugh Ross.

But consider now Ankerberg’s and Geisler’s current handling of Mark 10:6 in their web article. In response to a question from the Pharisees about divorce Jesus replied in that verse, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.”

In their article, “Differing Views of the ‘Days’ of Creation,” Ankerberg and Geisler (A/G) first state the YEC reasoning on Mark 10:6 and then give their objections to that view.

VIII. Mark 10:6 Affirms That Adam and Eve Were Created at the Beginning

Argument: According to this text, “At the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’” If God created humankind at the beginning of Creation, then they were not created at the end of millions of years, as the old-earth view contends.

Response: First, Adam was not created at the beginning but at the end of the creation period (on the sixth day), no matter how long or short the days were. Second, the Greek word for “create” (ktisis) can and sometimes does mean “institution” or “ordinance” (cf. 1 Peter 2:13). Since Jesus is speaking of the institution of marriage in Mark 10:6, it could mean “from the beginning of the institution of marriage.” Third, and finally, even if Mark 10:6 is speaking of the original creation events, it does not mean there could not have been a long period of time involved in those creative events.

Below I first restate their argument point by point, which is indented, and then offer my refutation of each point.

A/G response 1: First, Adam was not created at the beginning but at the end of the creation period (on the sixth day), no matter how long or short the days were.

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